Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Easily Forgotten?

I am as guilty as the next when it comes to the month of July, my attention becomes focused laser-like on the country of France for three weeks.

Easily forgotten is the incredible racing that goes on within our shores during that same time span.

The greatest criticism I have heard for not following the domestic scene is that the quality of event and rider is below par in comparison to those in the European circuit. But, even that is a poor excuse and frankly does an injustice to our domestic riders, many of whom have had experience abroad in their developmental years or have a mixed program currently.

Though the attitudes, fanfare, and style of racing still differ, with the emphasis of criterium style racing and the lack of a grand tour style race in the United States certainly playing a part in those differences, as I have gotten to know the domestic scene and the riders that participate in these events better, I have come to appreciate it and them that much more. Suffering after all is translatable to all languages.

That said, though my attention is currently fixed on France, my eyes are definitely wandering.

Toyota-United's Hilton Clarke took the victory in the Elite Men's field in Louisville, while Bri Kovac of Team Revolution took the prize in the Women's event. Mark Zalewski of Cyclingnews has a nice write up and photos of the event, while Kurt Jambretz has a great gallery of the event on Velonews and on his website.

When Levi Leipheimer (Astana) and teammate Chris Horner registered for the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic, many thought it was a forgone conclusion that the third place finisher in the 2007 Tour de France would win going away even if he didn't have Horner along for the ride. Though everyone was indeed proven correct, Levi's victory didn't come as easily as many thought.

Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce), in her run up to the Beijing Olympics, proved that her form was of gold medal standard by winning the overall. Newly named US Olympic teammate, Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) finished in second, while 2006 and defending champion Amber Rais (Team TIBCO) finished in 8th. The 2007 Women's event was canceled due to a scheduling conflict.

3 comments:

Hey Len, just to let you know I've been watching and reading. You're doing a bang-up job casting your gaze outside of France and onto hometown turf to keep us informed of wheels that continue to spin in other circles. Finally, on a rest day I too can tear myself away long enough to give you your due and say... Thanks!

TV coverage makes the Tour an easy race to follow. The day is coming when some of these domestic races will be back on the tube - and not on Versus.

Until then, keep up the great work on sharing news from our own backyard on this side of "the pond." Some of these guys will someday race the Tour, while others have already made their mark in cycling's greatest race.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Easily Forgotten?

I am as guilty as the next when it comes to the month of July, my attention becomes focused laser-like on the country of France for three weeks.

Easily forgotten is the incredible racing that goes on within our shores during that same time span.

The greatest criticism I have heard for not following the domestic scene is that the quality of event and rider is below par in comparison to those in the European circuit. But, even that is a poor excuse and frankly does an injustice to our domestic riders, many of whom have had experience abroad in their developmental years or have a mixed program currently.

Though the attitudes, fanfare, and style of racing still differ, with the emphasis of criterium style racing and the lack of a grand tour style race in the United States certainly playing a part in those differences, as I have gotten to know the domestic scene and the riders that participate in these events better, I have come to appreciate it and them that much more. Suffering after all is translatable to all languages.

That said, though my attention is currently fixed on France, my eyes are definitely wandering.

Toyota-United's Hilton Clarke took the victory in the Elite Men's field in Louisville, while Bri Kovac of Team Revolution took the prize in the Women's event. Mark Zalewski of Cyclingnews has a nice write up and photos of the event, while Kurt Jambretz has a great gallery of the event on Velonews and on his website.

When Levi Leipheimer (Astana) and teammate Chris Horner registered for the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic, many thought it was a forgone conclusion that the third place finisher in the 2007 Tour de France would win going away even if he didn't have Horner along for the ride. Though everyone was indeed proven correct, Levi's victory didn't come as easily as many thought.

Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce), in her run up to the Beijing Olympics, proved that her form was of gold medal standard by winning the overall. Newly named US Olympic teammate, Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) finished in second, while 2006 and defending champion Amber Rais (Team TIBCO) finished in 8th. The 2007 Women's event was canceled due to a scheduling conflict.

3 comments:

Hey Len, just to let you know I've been watching and reading. You're doing a bang-up job casting your gaze outside of France and onto hometown turf to keep us informed of wheels that continue to spin in other circles. Finally, on a rest day I too can tear myself away long enough to give you your due and say... Thanks!

TV coverage makes the Tour an easy race to follow. The day is coming when some of these domestic races will be back on the tube - and not on Versus.

Until then, keep up the great work on sharing news from our own backyard on this side of "the pond." Some of these guys will someday race the Tour, while others have already made their mark in cycling's greatest race.

"...Steve Klein from the US, a kind cycling enthusiast that follows the tour, and with his friends they do a great blog of how they see the tour." (Knut-Walther Baldersheim)

"It covers a wide spectrum of cycling issues: European and domestic racing, as well as some of the history and tradition of the sport. Very well-written and presented." (Sean Weide)

"Lately I've been enjoying the collaborative cycling blog Triple Crankset, run in part by former Chicagoan Leonard Basobas. As someone who admittedly doesn't follow the NRC much except for when it's racing nearby, this fans' point of view is useful for staying abreast of the various personalities and storylines." (Luke Seemann)

"TripleCrankset is a site I have to sink my teeth into on a daily basis!" (Kris Keim)